Alder Hey, a key University of Liverpool partner, has been awarded £1.1m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to further advance its cutting-edge 3T research MRI scanner. The funding will improve imaging capabilities, benefiting collaborative child health research between the hospital and the University.
In addition, matched funding for ophthalmology equipment will equip a paediatric eye research facility in Alder Hey. This makes Liverpool the only city in the UK with this combination of technology in a stand-alone paediatric hospital.
As well as being clinically significant, this investment in equipment also supports ongoing research projects being delivered by Alder Hey and the University of Liverpool. These include Children Growing Up in Liverpool (C-GULL), and the Liverpool Institute of Child Health and Wellbeing.
C-GULL
Children Growing Up In Liverpool (C-GULL) is a partnership between the University of Liverpool, Wellcome Trust, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool Women's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The C-GULL study is a longitudinal birth cohort focused on improving the health and well-being of children and their families within the Liverpool City Region and other similar regions within the UK. The first MRI-related C-GULL sub-study that would require the MRI is now funded and scheduled for next year.
Institute of Child Health and Wellbeing
The new Institute of Child Health and Wellbeing was launched by Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in October.
It will build on the long-standing collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Alder Hey and their respective world-leading reputations for healthcare research and innovation. It will bring together experts from various disciplines, to tackle complex issues in new and innovative ways.
Dr Dan Hawcutt, Reader in Paediatric Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool, and Director of Research at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust and , said: "This funding is going to help paediatric research in our city be cutting edge by providing a new research technology and will support our region and beyond. The MRI scanner will be able to do new research studies that cannot be delivered anywhere else and enable Alder Hey to lead on new studies but also support other sites where they may not have MRI capacity to take part in the research.
"The ophthalmology research equipment will also help the delivery of new eye research and other studies where eye checks are essential. Together they represent a vote of confidence in Alder Hey and the Liverpool research eco-system from NIHR, and we intend to work hard to make sure they deliver to their potential."
With £1.1 million of new funding this year, following last year's £3.2 million from NIHR, Alder Hey now has over £4 million in capital investment dedicated to improving research delivery for children and adults in Liverpool and beyond.
